A Colorado environmental speaker brought warm images of tropical rainforests and a unique message about environmentalism to about 60 students at the Dana Building last night.
Kevin Russell, founder of the Rainforest Awareness Project, used slides and music to tell vivid stories of his first trip to Borneo, which is located between Indonesia and Malaysia in the Pacific Ocean.
Once home to the oldest rainforests in the world, Russell said, Borneo and particularly the state of Sarawalk are currently losing their precious rainforests to industrialization.
Russell, who claimed to be "not like most environmentalists," said he wanted to "share the beauty of many peoples" and stressed the importance of looking at environmentalism as a global problem.
"Our whole notion of security is based on economic stability," Russell said. "This has undermined the life-support system and the environment of the world."
Russell used anecdotes from his trip to "point out global problems and bring them back home." He said he tried to make his message a positive one that didn't criticize individuals or nations.
"There's so much criticism with environmental practices in Sarawalk," Russell said. "I want to bring them closer to home. It's a complex and difficult issue, but I don't want to blame people."
Rohaya, a woman from Sarawalk, accompanied Russell and added stories about her family and people.
Amy Grace, co-facilitator of Environmental Action, a student group, said she was pleased with the performance but wished there had been a more diverse turnout.
"I wish we could show something like this to the people in the business school and force-feed them," Grace said
Joel Hoffman, a sophomore in LSA and SNRE, said he felt the powerful photography "made the message closer."
"What impressed me most was the way (Russell) went at our perception of the environment," Hoffman said. "It wasn't the story of a distant place with distant problems, it was the story of us and how we look at our own backyards."
RAP is currently on a six-week tour of colleges and universities in the Midwest and on the East Coast.
AJA DEKLEVA COHEN/Daily
Kevin Russell, founder of the Rainforest Awareness Project, speaks about his experiences inside the forests of Borneo on campus last night.